MACON, Ga. – After finishing 2013-14 with the strongest finish in program history in the Atlantic Sun Conference all sports trophy standings, the Lipscomb athletics program has continued on its record-setting pace this fall by leading the league in the race for the Bill Bibb Trophy.

The Bisons sit atop the league behind four conference titles so far in 2014-15 and a runner-up finish compiling 112.5 points out of a possible 117. That gives the Purple and Gold a .962 percentage ahead of FGCU, who sits in second place at .833 having garnered 97.5 of 117 points possible.

"We've had a fantastic fall in what has been one of the most impressive 12-month stretches in the Atlantic Sun Conference's history,” said Lipscomb Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson. “There have been many milestone accomplishments in the A-Sun this year and knowing that, it's especially rewarding to see Lipscomb at the top of the leaderboard right now.”

Capturing the men’s cross country championship and a share of the regular-season men’s soccer crown, the Bison men sit in first place in the Jesse C. Fletcher Trophy Standings. Lipscomb nabbed 43.5 out of a possible 45 points for a .967 percentage. That figure leads FGCU by .200 heading into the winter sports.

"We've talked a lot the past couple of years about ‘Our Team’,” said Hutcheson “About the idea of everyone pulling together, challenging each other, encouraging one another and everyone sharing in the victories.

“That's certainly the case whenever you look at results like this that reflect the successes of all sports. We know that some roles are more public than others. So, while I am certainly proud of the efforts our student athletes and coaches to produce such tremendous results, I am equally appreciative of the part that everyone else in the Lipscomb community plays to help us succeed. The support of our student body, our fans, our supporters, our athletic department staff, our campus community and our administration are all critical to our success and so, when we do have moments or seasons of great success, they too share in the recognition.”

The Lipscomb women’s teams also find themselves in the top position for the Sherman Day Trophy through the fall. Championships by the cross country and volleyball teams along with a runner-up finish by women’s soccer have the Lady Bisons in the lead with 69 of a possible 72 points. That .958 percentage leads FGCU, who currently sits at .875.

"We've got a lot of the athletic year left to go, and the competition in the conference is only getting tougher,” said Hutcheson. “But this is certainly a step in the right direction. And as a department that works to reflect the values of our university, we're going to do our best to show that our programs can indeed succeed at the highest levels of NCAA Division I competition while continuing to emphasize the Higher calling that Lipscomb embraces."

2014-15 Current Standings

Bill Bibb Trophy Standings

2014-15 Combined All Sports Race

School

Men's Points

Women's Points

Total

Percentage

Team Titles

1.

Lipscomb

43.5

69

112.5/117

.962

4 (MXC, WXC, MSOC, VB)

2.

FGCU

34.5

63

97.5/117

.833

2 (WSOC, MSOC)

3.

North Florida

30

43.5

73.5/117

.628

4.

Northern Kentucky

27

34.5

61.5/117

.526

T5.

Jacksonville

6

45

51/117

.436

T5.

Stetson

21

30

51/117

.436

7.

Kennesaw State

9

30

39/96

.406

8.

USC Upstate

21

9

30/117

.256

Jesse C. Fletcher Trophy Standings

2014-15 Men's All Sports Race

School

XC

Soccer

IT&F

Bball

Tennis

Golf

T&F

Baseball

Total

Percentage

1.

Lipscomb

24*

19.5*

0

0

0

0

0

0

43.5/45

.967

2.

FGCU

15

19.5*

--

0

0

0

--

0

34.5/45

.767

3.

North Florida

18

12

0

0

0

0

0

0

30/45

.667

4.

Northern Kentucky

21

6

0

0

0

0

0

0

27/45

.600

T5.

USC Upstate

12

9

0

0

0

0

0

0

21/45

.467

T5.

Stetson

6

15

--

0

0

0

--

0

21/45

.467

7.

Kennesaw State

9

--

0

0

0

0

0

0

9/24

.375

8.

Jacksonville

3

3

--

0

--

0

--

0

6/45

.133

Sherman Day Trophy Standings

2014-15 Women's All Sports Race

School

XC

Soccer

Vball

IT&F

BBall

Golf

SVball

Tennis

Softball

T&F

Total

Percentage

1.

Lipscomb

24*

21

24*

0

0

0

--

0

0

0

69/72

.958

2..

FGCU

18

24*

21

--

0

0

0

0

0

--

63/72

.875

3.

Jacksonville

12

18

15

0

0

0

0

--

0

0

45/72

.625

4.

North Florida

21

13.5

9

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

43.5/72

.604

5.

Northern Kentucky

6

13.5

15

0

0

0

--

0

0

0

34.5/72

.479

T6.

Kennesaw State

15

9

6

0

0

0

--

0

0

0

30/72

.417

T6.

Stetson

9

6

15

--

0

0

0

0

0

--

30/72

.417

8.

USC Upstate

3

3

3

0

0

0

--

0

0

0

9/72

.125

Points awarded on a descending basis in three-point increments. A minimum of five full-fledged members must participate in a sport for that sport to be counted in the all-sports standings. Number of points are established according to the number of teams participating in each sport. In team sports points are awarded based on regular season finish. In individual sports (cross country, golf, track & field) points are awarded based on the A-Sun Championship standings. Ties split points. The final all sports standings are based on percentage. Each institution's percentage score is determined by the aggregate calculation of each institution's points earned divided by the maximum points points available to that institution.